Mike Vizard discusses AppOmni’s Heisenberg, an open source tool that automatically scans pull requests for risky dependencies and generates real-time SBOMs, supporting better security practices for developers and DevSecOps teams.

AppOmni Open Sources Heisenberg Tool for Dependency Scanning in PRs

Author: Mike Vizard

Overview

AppOmni has released Heisenberg, an open source tool dedicated to enhancing software supply chain security. Heisenberg scans pull requests (PRs) to automatically flag newly published or potentially risky dependencies before code is merged, aiming to help development teams prevent vulnerabilities from entering production environments.

Key Features

Automatic PR Scanning: Heisenberg is designed to focus on just the changes introduced in each pull request, reducing unnecessary repeated scans and speeding up the verification process.
SBOM Generation: The tool can build a software bill of materials (SBOM) from live application development environments, allowing developers to catalog dependencies more accurately and in real-time compared to traditional static SBOMs.
Multiple Integration Methods: Heisenberg operates through a command line interface (CLI) and can also be embedded directly in GitHub Action workflows, making it accessible in common JavaScript, Python, and Go project pipelines.
Developer-Oriented: Created to integrate seamlessly into developer workflows, Heisenberg helps maintain security visibility without slowing down the build and deployment process.

DevSecOps Challenges and the Role of Heisenberg

Despite advances in DevSecOps, security remains a challenge as many developers prioritize feature delivery over security checks. Heisenberg attempts to mitigate this by facilitating easy, reliable secure code practices and reducing “false positive fatigue.”

Heisenberg’s real-time insights and automation help shift security left in the development process, giving teams a practical tool to keep track of dependencies and prevent vulnerabilities from reaching production.

Usage Scenarios

CI/CD Integration: Embed Heisenberg into GitHub Actions or run as a CLI tool locally to scan every PR for dependency risks.
SBOM Reporting: Generate or update SBOMs continuously as part of workflow pipelines.
Language Support: Works with major development workflows in JavaScript, Python, and Go.

Conclusion

Heisenberg addresses the growing risk of software supply chain attacks by giving developers an automated method to surface dependency issues early and maintain clear SBOM documentation as part of everyday coding and DevOps practice.